Spanish Navy warship, ESPS Galicia, is the flagship of the EU Naval Force and she is currently deployed off the coast of Somalia to help deter acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea. The presence of such a capable warship in what is a strategically important trade route, provides reassurance to the crews of merchant vessels as they transport their cargo to and from Europe.
Recent piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia demonstrate the need for all merchant vessels to remain vigilant to the threat and to report any suspicious activity to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre.
EU NAVFOR’s Force Commander, Rear Admiral Rafael Fernández-Pintado Muñoz-Rojas, (Spanish Navy) and his headquarters staff are currently embarked on ESPS Galicia. The Force Commander’s role is to work with counter-piracy partners to assess the piracy threat and to deploy EU NAVFOR’s warships and aircraft to sea areas that are deemed to be at the highest risk of an attack and to respond to piracy incidents wherever possible.
Recent piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia demonstrate the need for all merchant vessels to remain vigilant to the threat and to report any suspicious activity to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre.
EU NAVFOR’s Force Commander, Rear Admiral Rafael Fernández-Pintado Muñoz-Rojas, (Spanish Navy) and his headquarters staff are currently embarked on ESPS Galicia. The Force Commander’s role is to work with counter-piracy partners to assess the piracy threat and to deploy EU NAVFOR’s warships and aircraft to sea areas that are deemed to be at the highest risk of an attack and to respond to piracy incidents wherever possible.